ISTANBUL - Eren Keskin, evaluating the withdrawal of the Kurdish Freedom Movement, stated that legal regulations should be implemented as soon as possible and said, "It is the state itself that needs to take a step."  

 

Evaluating the decision of the Kurdish Freedom Movement to withdraw its forces from Turkey and Kurdistan to the Media Defence Areas within the scope of the Peace and Democratic Society Process, Human Rights Association (IHD) Co-Chair Eren Keskin said: "This is a very clear expression of the will for peace, it is very important." 

 

Stating that the process started with the influence of external dynamics, Eren Keskin said: "In this process, PKK continues to take steps unilaterally. After the weapons burning ceremony in July, which had a great meaning even if it was representative, today it announced that it has withdrawn all its forces from the borders of Turkey. This is a very clear expression of the will for peace, it is very important. I hope that the importance of this decision will be understood by all segments of society. As human rights defenders, we see that the steps taken in the process we are going through are unilateral. However, we have repeatedly stated that peace processes cannot work with unilateral steps. If the point at which the Kurdish issue has reached needs to be discussed, we know that the basis of the problem here is the ignoring, security policies that the state continues to pursue. Therefore, it is the state itself that needs to take a step here." 

 

STEPS TO BE TAKEN

 

Eren Keskin pointed out what needs to be done next: "As human rights defenders, we have constantly expressed our demands. First of all, all political prisoners, MPs, writers, intellectuals, Gezi prisoners who live in persecution in prisons only because of their thoughts should be released. The Anti-Terror Law (TMK) must be abolished. There are already articles regulating organisation crimes in the Turkish Penal Code (TCK). For this reason, the Turkish Penal Code is a law of a government that tries to rule by scaring the society. Apart from this, ill prisoners should be released as a priority. There is no need for a law for this. In addition to the Forensic Medicine Institution (ATK), the reports of hospitals should also be accepted as evidence to determine the illnesses of ill prisoners. These demands will continue. The return to the Istanbul Convention, the full implementation of the international conventions signed under it, and the regulation of the right to hope are among these demands." 

 

'LEGAL ARRANGEMENTS SHOULD BE MADE'

 

Eren Keskin reminded that the leadership of the Kurdish Freedom Movement wants democratic integration and legal steps to be taken and said: "It should be noted that what we are expressing is actually the same thing. If it is really aimed to end a period of conflict and make the society accept and internalise a peace process, legal arrangements must be made to ensure that individuals who have participated in the war can return to a peace process without war and take their place in society. What is important here is not only the steps taken by the Kurdish Movement or the steps expected from the state. Civil society organisations, women's organisations, legal organisations and especially trade unions have a great deal of work to do." 

 

'TRADE UNIONS NEED TO TAKE CARE'

 

Pointing out how the process will be reflected on the labour sector, Eren Keskin said: "It should never be forgotten that the start of a peace process, the end of the conflict process means that the money allocated for war will return to the budget, if this is evaluated correctly, it means that the labourer will win. For this reason, I think that trade unions should embrace this process the most." 

 

MA / Omer Ibrahimoglu